


Til Summer's End

by fio



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Beauty and the Beast, Amnesia, Kitsune, M/M, Monsters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-25
Updated: 2015-09-25
Packaged: 2018-04-23 07:05:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4867664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fio/pseuds/fio
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Makoto is a boy with a pure heart, turned into a monster to keep it safe from anyone who would carelessly hurt it. Haru is a boy with a closed heart, forced to grow up alone with an ache in his chest that not even water can mend. If Makoto's spell is to be broken, Haru must prove he is worthy. Beauty & the Beast AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Til Summer's End

**Author's Note:**

> [Makoto's design can be seen here](http://acidwashwerewolf.tumblr.com/post/129806646450/commission-for-my-buddy-basukerotics-of-a-monster) (drawn by my wonderful friend Cori, [who you can commission!](http://acidwashwerewolf.tumblr.com/commissions)). He's loosely based on the [kirin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qilin). Most mythology used in this fic will be a very loose/liberal interpretation lol. The rating will go up in the future and tags will be added as they are needed. And happy MakoHaru day!

Haru never liked days when it rained. Stuffy, hot summer afternoons may have felt a bit cooler thanks to a downpour, but he was still trapped inside, unable to go out and relax in a pool or wade into the ocean which was much more refreshing. But he had Makoto to keep him company, and his grandmother to make them tea and snacks, so he couldn't feel too put out.

The sound of hard rain drops gradually eased into a weak pitter patter as the two ate and doodled on paper with markers until Haru could hear the chirping of birds, signaling a break in the storm. He looked out the window and saw there were still dark clouds in the sky but the sun had broken through a few, and he wanted nothing more than to run out and splash in the puddles, wondering if any might be deep enough to soak in.

"Haru-chan?" Makoto asked, having noticed Haru was no longer drawing. His eyes followed Haru's to the window and his face broke out into a smile. "Oh, the rain stopped! Do you think we can go outside?" he asked, as always sensing and sharing Haru's desire.

"I'll go ask," Haru said as he stood up from the table and ran to the kitchen. His grandmother gave her permission, though they weren't to stay out for longer than an hour in case the storm picked back up, and Haru thanked her. He returned to the living room and grabbed Makoto's hand, pulling him onto his feet and leading him to the front door where their shoes were kept. They both carefully slipped into their rain boots before dashing outside, excited for a bit of fresh air after being stuck inside the whole day.

On the path out front they were immediately met with the strong smell of rain and a cool wind that nipped at their ears, but with the sun peeking out they felt comfortably warm even without their rain coats and caps. They both dashed for the biggest puddles, stomping hard and grinning at the size of the splashes they made. To Haru's disappointment, none of them went much deeper than their ankles, but he figured soaking in the rainwater mixed with mud and washed-away leaves couldn't have been much fun anyway.

"Ah! Haru look! Look!" Makoto squeaked, waving him over to where he was crouched by some bushes. Haru hopped from one puddle to the next until he was at Makoto's side and leaned forward, peering between the wet leaves. "Do you see them?"

Haru spotted the pair of frogs just as one leapt in their direction and Makoto shouted in surprise, grabbing Haru's arm to keep from falling backwards onto his butt. Haru didn't laugh or say a word but Makoto was quickly standing up straight, letting go of Haru and frowning at his shoes.

"I-I wasn't scared," he mumbled, hands fisting in his shirt.

"Okay," Haru said, shrugging and focusing back on the frogs. Makoto had been acting like this ever since his parents announced they were expecting twins, worried that he wasn't going to be a good big brother, especially since other kids teased him about being a scaredy cat who ran to Haru for protection. Haru didn't think getting scared had much to do with what kind of brother that made someone, and he had said so before, but for the most part he left Makoto alone about it. He knew Makoto was going to do a great job as an older brother, because he was Haru's best friend, and that was all the proof he needed.

The frog that had startled Makoto was moving back into the bush, rejoining the other one as they hopped around the wet mud. Haru and Makoto crouched together to watch for a while, wanting to see if they might make a huge jump or use their long tongues, but the frogs seemed happy not doing much of anything and soon the two boys grew bored. Haru returned his attention to the puddles and making big splashes while Makoto stayed by the bush, poking at the damp ground and finding earthworms.

For a while they each wandered on their own and Haru focused intently on the water he could find, ignoring the way the sunlight started to disappear and signaled their time outdoors was coming to an end, until he heard Makoto gasp.

"Wow," Makoto said as Haru turned, curious about what he had found, and saw Makoto had wandered down the path towards the steps that led towards neighbors and the rest of town. He walked over to Makoto, this time ignoring the puddles, and came to his side as Makoto held out his hands. "Look at how cool this rock is," Makoto said. Unlike most of the pebbles by their feet, the stone Makoto had found was round and completely smooth. Haru wanted to feel it, but he didn't want to take it away when Makoto was the one who had found it.

But without a word, Makoto held it out to him and dropped it into Haru's palm. "Doesn't it feel cool?" he asked, smiling wide, looking proud that he had found something remarkable.

"Yeah," Haru nodded, dragging his fingers across the rock's surface.

"Oh, I think I see another one!" Makoto said, suddenly running up the steps. Haru followed, but what Makoto had thought was another smooth stone looked like something odd. "Huh. I wonder what this is," he mumbled as he picked it up. What he held in his hand was large enough to fill his whole palm, spherical and shimmery, as if beneath the surface it was filled with water or smoke.

"It looks like a snowball," Haru said, "Is it heavy?"

Makoto hefted it up and down with one hand, then shook his head. "No, it's really light. I wonder if it’s got a toy in it..." he trailed off, trying to pry it open with his fingers. When he couldn’t, he crouched down on the step to smack the sphere against it. He tried twice more, but when the object didn't crack open, he frowned and stood back up. "I didn't even scratch it."

"Weird."

"Maybe it's jewelry?"

"You can't wear a big ball like that," Haru said. He'd seen his mother and his grandmother put on jewelry before, and though whatever it was looked like a pearl, he didn't know if pearls could be that size, and anyway there had to be a bunch of them to make a necklace.

"What do you think it could be?" Makoto asked, holding it out for Haru to touch.

Before Haru's fingers could reach it, a hard gust of wind blew between them, Makoto managing to hold onto the strange sphere only by pulling it back to his chest as Haru's hands lifted up to shield his face from the harsh air blowing leaves and twigs at them. As suddenly as it had come, the wind settled but when they looked up, on the steps below them sat a fox, its fur white and eyes golden. Makoto let out a small squeak of fear and shuffled behind Haru quickly, gripping onto Haru's shirt.

Haru knew neither of them had ever seen a fox outside of storybooks or cartoons before and he had never heard of them being around Iwatobi. He didn't know what to do, or what the fox would do, so he stood frozen, fist squeezing around the rock Makoto had found until the fox let out a quiet chirp. Makoto gasped and Haru glanced at him, his eyes dropping downward as the white object in his hand started glowing bright, the light spreading until it engulfed them both and the fox before them.

When it faded a few moments later, they were no longer on the steps of their neighborhood. They stood under a canopy of trees on a shaded stone pathway up to a large shrine that looked unlike any Haru had seen in town, though there were many. Makoto was trembling against him and Haru was feeling just as shaken, but he tried his best to stay steady for Makoto's sake. The fox was sitting still and staring at them and Haru wanted to grab Makoto and run, but he didn't know where they were or how to get home.

"H-Haru," Makoto whispered, almost making Haru jump, "d-do you think i-it wants the ball?"

Haru didn't know what a fox would need some weird glowy ball for, but it could have it as far as he was concerned. He just wanted to go home. He nodded and Makoto gulped, grip tightening in Haru's shirt for a moment as he steeled himself. Very slowly, Makoto let go and stepped forward despite his obvious shaking, kneeling down between Haru and the fox to put the ball on the ground as carefully as he could, before moving back to Haru's side and grabbing onto him again.

The fox kept its eyes on them, tail moving in slow drags across the stone behind it, and reached a paw forward to rest on the shimmery object. Light poured out of it once again and Haru hoped it might take them back to where they had been, but only the fox was swallowed by it. Not sure what would happen next, Haru started to step backwards, keeping Makoto moving with him.

The light faded, blowing apart like smoke and leaving trails wrapping around a person now standing where the fox had been sitting.

Makoto stopped trembling and dropped his hand away from Haru's shoulder as both of them froze. The person had long white hair, almost reaching the ground, and golden eyes that looked ill-fitting for a human's face. They wore an elaborate red kimono, the type Haru thought people wore to big parties in his storybooks about emperors and their guests.

The person smiled down at them, and Haru felt a chill run across his skin, his stomach squeezing in a sudden panic. But as he tried to back away again, this time Makoto refused to budge.

"Child," the person said, making Haru flinch, but after a moment he realized he wasn't the one being addressed. Looking to Makoto he saw his face had gone blank, his eyes dulled as if fog had filled them. Haru's panic grew and he turned away from the person, grabbing Makoto's arm and trying to shake him.

"Makoto," Haru hissed, begging his friend to look at him, but Makoto's eyes were transfixed and his body felt like a statue, too heavy for Haru to move at all.

The person spoke again, their voice quiet and raspy, "You have done me a great favor returning this to me. I would see you rewarded for your kindness." Haru watched, realizing he could do nothing to pull Makoto away but unwilling to leave his side, as the fox leaned in close, reaching a finger towards Makoto's chest. "Your heart is pure, child, a true wonder in the world of man. I will have it protected. None who are undeserving will reach it." At that, their eyes shifted to focus on Haru, making his stomach drop in fear.

The finger pressed gently over Makoto's heart before Haru could react, creating a harsh gust of wind that began to blow around the path, circling Makoto until he was rising in the air.

"Makoto!" Haru shouted, reaching for him, but the wind was too strong. The air pushed him backwards, arms still outstretched towards Makoto, still rising with the wind as his shirt began to unravel and light poured from his eyes and fingertips. " _Makoto_!" he screamed, scrambling to get to him, but the person in the red kimono stepped between them, hiding Makoto from view as their long hair blew around them like a mane.

"This child is protected by the gods," they bellowed over the howling winds, "You, and everyone in your human world, will forget them unless a heart proves worthy. Now _leave us_."

The ball Makoto had returned to the fox began to shine and with a flick of their wrist, Haru was sent tumbling down the path into a familiar light until he fell flat on his back, rain pouring down on him. He blinked up at the dark sky, his heart pounding and his stomach churning. He struggled to sit up, but he recognized where he was, on the pathway just in front of his home. One of his hands was clenched into a fist and he stared at it, slowly opening it to reveal a smooth, round rock in his palm. He began to hyperventilate, his stomach squeezing painfully as his heart hammered even harder. He pushed onto his feet, dropping the stone, and dashed his way inside on shaky legs, forgetting to take his muddy rain boots off and trailing a mess through the house until he reached his grandmother, grabbing onto her as he started to sob.

"Haruka? Haruka, what's wrong?" she asked, bending down and stroking his hair.

He didn't know how to explain. He felt terror and he felt grief, but he didn't know why.

Unable to speak, he cried into her arms until he couldn't cry anymore, and then he fell asleep. His grandmother carried him to his room to rest for a long while, pulling off his shoes and wet clothes. After dropping his things in the laundry basket, she cleaned the mud from the floors before moving to the living room to put away Haru's markers and gather his drawings up to add to his collection. The first paper she picked up made her smile, small drawings of fish in what looked like a backyard, using fireworks. Haru enjoyed creating scenes of his own memories but with fish in them instead and she always found it cute. But the second drawing made her pause.

It didn't look like it had been drawn by Haru, but the boy in it had his dark hair and blue eyes just like his. A boy stood beside him smiling, but she couldn't recognize him. Haru never brought any friends home, but perhaps he had finally made one at school? After a few more moments looking it over, she picked it up and placed it with the rest, deciding to ask him about the boy later when he was feeling better.

The thought didn't return, and when Haru awoke later, he felt empty. It didn't get better.

〰〰〰

_**10 years later**_  


Haru sat in the tub, staring at his feet beneath the water, his head resting against the rim. He could hear the phone ringing from the living room but didn't make any effort to get it. He knew it was someone from school calling, reminding him that he needed to maintain a certain amount of attendance days or else he wouldn't graduate. He dunked his head beneath the water to drown out the voice of his homeroom teacher on the answering machine, blowing bubbles out of his nose until he had no air left.

He stayed in the bath until his teeth began to chatter and he reluctantly got out, grabbing his towel and drying himself off. He walked to his room, passing the living room and ignoring the blinking light indicating the new message. He stared at his uniform spread out across his bed, not wanting to go into school. He was already late but his homeroom teacher was desperate enough for him to come in at all that she was willing to forgive tardiness.

Rubbing his towel over his drying hair, he sighed. If he didn't go in, he wasn't going to do anything other than buy groceries and nap all day anyway. Knowing he would be bored either way, showing up at school to get his teachers to stop calling him seemed like the less troublesome option. He got dressed and made himself a lunch before grabbing his schoolbag and heading out.

"Good morning, Haruka-kun," greeted Watanabe, one of his neighbors and an old friend of his grandmother's, as he walked down the steps. He gave her a nod and made to keep walking, but she called out to him and made him pause. "You haven't seen little Noriko around, have you? She didn't come home last night."

Haru's grandmother had always fed many of the stray cats that lived nearby, sometimes attracting cats that had homes but were still interested in a bit of extra food. Haru had continued the habit after she passed away and Noriko, the Watanabe's cat, was often among the crowd that came by for a feeding.

"Sorry, I haven't seen her," he said.

"Oh... Well, thank you, dear. Keep an eye out, if you could, and do tell me if you see her."

"Sure."

He gave her a small bow and walked away, making his way down the steps until he reached the street at the shoreline. The ocean was beautiful but Haru only gave it a glance, focusing on his feet as he made his way to school. He missed the water since he hadn't gone swimming in a very long time, his long baths the only time he indulged himself with these days. But bad memories began to rise up like bile, painful and sickening, whenever he thought of the ocean and he shook his head, refusing to think about the water or anything else.

Instead he focused on what lessons he had missed to distract himself. Since he didn't go to school for long stretches at a time, all he received in the weekly visits from the class secretary was the missed homework, and he only came by with that because the teacher had made someone do it. Nobody made him extra copies of the class notes or study guides for tests, but Haru often read through his textbooks to pass the time at home so he wasn't very behind. It was one of the things that drove his teachers up the wall. They didn't understand why he wouldn't just come to school if he was still going to do the work anyway and Haru never tried to explain when they pulled him aside to talk to him.

Reaching the school gates, Haru took a deep breath and walked in. Homeroom was already over by the time he reached his classroom and he opened the door, getting the attention of everyone inside.

"Nanase-kun. How kind of you to join us," his math teacher said from the front.

Some of his classmates laughed, others whispered amongst themselves. Whenever Haru came to school, the people around him gossiped and stared. It was part of the reason he didn't like to show up. He found his desk at the back and sat down, ignoring the eyes following him, and stared stubbornly out the window until the teacher coughed and made everyone bring their attention back to the lesson.

The morning passed slowly, each teacher giving Haru a surprised look when they saw him actually in his seat. He gave them the two weeks worth of homework since he'd last come in, some of them praising him for being diligent while others gave him ungrateful looks, not happy to have a large pile of late work to grade. His classmates continued to gawk and giggle at him whenever he walked to the front to speak to his teachers, and already he wished to just be home where he could be left _alone_. When the bell rang for lunch he grabbed his lunchbox and almost ran for the door, but his homeroom teacher appeared in the doorway, blocking his way.

"Nanase-kun! I'm so glad you're here today. I'd like to speak with you," Amakata said, giving him a wide smile. He wasn't eager to be lectured again, but as long as it got him out of the classroom, he was willing to follow her.

In the teacher's office, Amakata pulled over a spare chair and patted it, signaling Haru to sit down. He did, putting his lunchbox on his lap to stare at it as he waited for her to begin.

"I wanted to wish you a happy birthday, Nanase-kun. It's a bit late, but well. You weren't here on your _actual_ birthday." Haru nodded. He'd gotten a phone call from his parents, but that had been the extent of his 'celebration.' "I don't know if you got my message this morning, but I'd like to go over your attendance."

Iwatobi worked on a credit system, where the grades and attendance a student had over all three years determined whether they could graduate. Haru's scores on tests and work on homework had kept his grades decent enough, and he knew he had at least met the bare minimum for days present for his first two years. But Amakata reminded him that if he continued to be absent at the rate he was, he probably wouldn't have enough attendance days and would have to repeat the year. Haru didn't really care about graduating, though he knew his parents would be upset if he didn't, but at the same time, he didn't want to stay in high school any longer than he had to, either.

"And you haven't indicated any colleges you wish to attend or any sort of employment after leaving us. Have you been thinking about your future at all?"

Haru grimaced. The answer was no, but telling a teacher that was troublesome. What came after school was no different than what happened during it as far as he was concerned. None of his subjects were particularly interesting, so he had no desired school track, and people didn't like him or care to understand him, and he didn't want to waste the energy dealing with them. He didn't want to _do_ anything. He just wanted to be left alone.

"I'll take that as a no," Amakata said with a frown, making Haru bite at the inside of his cheek. "Well... I'll give you another copy of this," she said, handing him a sheet of paper. He took it slowly, reading the familiar questions on it. He wondered who could be so certain of their future that they could write it down for everyone, with no doubts or fears that things could go wrong. "If you can attend every day between now and summer vacation, I won't make you meet with me to discuss this sheet until after it's over. Take a while to think about it. Your future is important, you know?"

Haru continued to stare in silence at the paper in his hand. Realizing she'd get no answer, Amakata sighed and dismissed him, and he made his way towards the roof to pass the last half of lunch in peace. If attending every day until summer break meant no lectures for the next two months, he could manage that. Showing up more often usually made people grow bored with the novelty of staring at _Nanase, the recluse_ , too. As he took a bite of his fish, he looked at the paper on his knee, reading the sections on it. 

_Please circle your plans for when you graduate high school._

_List specific goals for future courses._

_Where do you hope to be next year?_

_Where do you hope to be in ten years?_

He folded the paper and shoved it in his pocket, not wanting to dwell on it. He had until the end of summer vacation to figure out something to put down.

〰〰〰

The first thing Haru did upon returning home was hop into another cold bath. Summer was so _hot_ , especially in his school uniform. He pooled water into his cupped hands and splashed his face, breathing deep. It was the first week of July and classes ran until the last week of it, and then he wouldn't have to go in again until school started again in September. Amakata had told him if he attended at least three weeks for every month until January, he would have enough to graduate, as third years were expected to focus on university entrance exams starting then and didn't have to come in, anyway.

It was a big jump from his usual habit of attending _one_ week for every month so far this year, but after thinking it over all day, he'd rather just graduate and be done with it, and if that meant going to class, he'd do it. It wasn't any less boring than sitting around his empty house all day, it just meant dealing with people more often, which he wasn't happy about.

With one last dunk of his head beneath the water, Haru got out of the tub, not bothering to put on any clothes aside from his boxers and his apron as he went to make dinner.

After he had eaten, he grabbed his scraps and the cat food by the porch before stepping into the backyard. There was a small crowd of cats already waiting for him, but with the sound of him pouring food into the several bowls he kept outside, more began to appear. While he was used to the numbers fluctuating, with some strays no longer coming by or neighbor cats staying at home most days, he noticed there was a definite lack of several familiar faces that usually weren't missing.

He remembered his conversation with Watanabe in the morning, about how Noriko hadn't been home, and figured he could at least look around.

Giving a few of the cats light scratches, he went back inside to put on some shorts and a light t-shirt before going out the front of the house. He glanced around the path, seeing some of the cats leaving, having had their fill. He followed one of them, a skinny stray with a sleek, black coat, as it made its way up the steps, opposite the way to the beach. Eventually the cat stopped, picking a fence to perch upon and clean itself, leaving Haru to find his own way. He continued up the steps, not used to going that direction but he figured it was worth checking. If he was unfamiliar with the area, Noriko could have gotten lost around there, too. 

The houses began to thin out and he walked between fences, calling out quietly for Noriko but seeing no cat that looked like her. He wandered far from his own neighborhood, no longer recognizing the homes around him as the sun began to set behind him. Eventually he reached a point where the houses stopped, the rest of the hill covered in large trees with only one dirt path between them.

Haru felt uneasy looking down the walkway, though he told himself it was only because the canopy of the trees made it darker and somewhat eerie. Glancing behind him, he could still see the ocean, so he knew if he headed down towards it he could find his way back home. He continued walking down the path for a while, now more wary but not sure what he was on the lookout for, until he came to a fork in the way. One side was still made of dirt and looked like it headed downwards, probably back towards houses and shops. The other was made of stone, and looking into the distance he saw what looked like the gates to a shrine beneath the shadow of the trees.

Haru wasn't sure which way to try searching, but the sun had gone down by now and he hadn't thought to bring a flashlight. He hadn't found Noriko, but now that he knew of this place, he could check again tomorrow. But before he could turn around and make his way back, a loud hiss came from behind him. Startled, he spun around to see a pair of cats tackle each other in the middle of the walkway, making him take steps backwards in his surprise. They broke apart just as quickly and sprinted past him down the stone path. Without sunlight and little moonlight reaching the path through the trees, Haru could barely make out the color or size of the cats, but one had looked white. Worried that it could be Noriko, he jogged after them.

The shrine gate loomed overhead as he ran under it and the loud smack of his sneakers against the stones almost seemed to echo. He heard more hisses and slowed to a stop as he reached the front of a very old shrine. He hadn't ever seen one this big, almost looking like a mansion, but the doors were closed so he walked around the side towards the noises. The further he walked, the foggier it seemed to become, but it smelled crisp, like smoke after blowing out a candle. He didn't see any lamps or lights around, though, and wondered where it was coming from.

He approached a corner of the shrine but before he could walk around it and call out for Noriko, he heard a very soft voice that made him freeze.

"Ah, please don't fight! You're all good kitties, no need to fight."

In the dark and fog, he couldn't make out many details of the person, but he could tell there was someone crouched down amidst a crowd of purring cats, though a few were hissing at each other. The scene was bizarre even though he could barely see it and he squinted, wanting his eyes to adjust to the lack of light. Before they could, one of the cats made its way to him, rubbing against his legs. Bending down to pet it, he realized he recognized it.

"Oh, it's Noriko."

Abruptly, the person shot upwards, spinning around on him. They were _huge_ , towering over him even when he stood back up, now holding a content Noriko in his arms.

"Uh. Sorry."

"... W-Who are you?" they asked, taking a step backwards. Were they afraid to be caught here because it was supposed to be off-limits? Or was this a mass cat kidnapping? Either way, Haru didn't care.

"I'm just here for this cat. She's my neighbor's."

"Oh... You're n-not... afraid of me?"

That was a weird question. They were obviously strange to be out in the middle of the night collecting cats but, aside from their intimidating size, they weren't really frightening.

"No," Haru answered.

They were silent for a long moment, and when they spoke again they sounded disappointed. "You can't see me, can you?"

Another weird question. "Well, it's really dark, so no."

They sighed, sounding so sad that Haru wanted to see them and understand why. As if answering his wish, a dim light appeared, barely illuminating more than their chin. Haru looked down to see where the light had come from, and saw a small flame floating in the palm of their outstretched hand. Except it didn't look like a person's hand, which distracted him from the question of how they had created the flame without any matches or lighter to be seen. There were brown pads like a dog or a cat's on their palm and tips of their fingers, the rest of their skin looking more like golden scales. The flame grew, and more light showed what looked like fur coming out of their sleeve, which Haru noticed now must have been made out of fine red silk, with glimmering patterns like waves in a deep blue color rising up its length.

The flame grew bigger and brighter and the fog, which Haru knew must have been smoke now, began to recede, revealing more and more of the person until Haru could see them in full, and he realized why they had sounded so sad. They weren't a _person_ but some kind of monster, horns protruding from their hair and long ears hanging low, like a wary deer's. They wore a yukata, though much fancier than any Haru had ever seen or worn. Their skin wasn't skin but all made of scales, with fur around their wrists and neck and feet, which weren't feet but hooves instead. And what Haru was most surprised not to have noticed before was their long tail with spikes trailing down it, ending in more fur which some of the cats had taken to pawing at where it waved back and forth around their legs.

But there was still something very human about their face despite the scales and nose like an animal's. Their green eyes looked down at him sadly, reflecting the light of the flame, and Haru watched their fangs move with their lips as they spoke again, voice quiet and close to breaking.

"Are you afraid of me now?"


End file.
